Road-cart



(No Model.)

F. BBOHT.

ROAD CART.

No. 348,447. Patented Aug. 31, 1886.

INVENTOR WIT 4, g

M BY 5 i ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK BEOHT, OF COLONA, ILLINOIS.

ROAD- CART.

EIPECIFICATICDI forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,447, dated August31, 1886. Application filed January 23, 1886. Serial No. 189,548. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, FRANK Bncnnof Oolona, in the county of Henry andState of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inRoad-Oarts, of which the following is a description.

Myinvention is an improvement in the class of two-wheeled vehicles knownas road or village carts.

The object of my invention is twofoldnamely, to render such vehiclesmore comfort able for the occupant, also more easy for the horse, andthis I accomplish by the construe tion and combinationof partshereinafter de scribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of my improvedvillage cart. Fig. 2 is a front view, the shafts being in section. Figs.3, 4, 5 are detail views.

The body A is supported at its rear end by a transverse rod, a, andswinging arms or cranks I), attached to the upwardly-curved ends of theside bars or levers, B, and the front end of said body is supported bycurved springs, as will be hereinafter more particularly described. Thelevers B are curved slightly upward and then downward at their frontends, which are also slotted vertically, as shown at c in Fig. 4. Neartheir rear ends said bars are provided with a longitudinal slot, (Z,through which pass bolts 0 that pivot and secure them between the earsof shackles D, bolted to the upper sides of elliptical springs E. Thelatter rest 011 and are clipped to the axle F in the usual way. Theslotted front end of each side bar, B, receives the pendent arm of aT-shackle, G, whose head is clipped to the cross-bar II of the shafts I.Both the said shackle G and the slotted portions 0, of bars B have holesto receive bolts f, that sesecure them together and in adjustablerelation. As shown, the bars 13 are adjusted as farforward and upward aspracticable, and the body A is properly balanced for the usualconditions of use; but if a load be placed in its front end it wouldbear correspondingly heavy 011 the back of the horse, and to relieve thelatter in such a case the bolts f are removed and. the bars B adjustedbackward, thus shifting the center of gravity of the body A far enoughto the rear to compensate for the location of its load. This adjustmentis obviously permitted by the slots (Z in the bars B. If the horse belarge the front ends of bars are adjusted downward on shackle-bars G,and, conversely, they are shifted upward if the horse be small, in orderto preserve the desired horizo'ntality ofthe body. Thus the latter maybe easily and quickly shifted forward or back, or its inclinationchanged, to suit conditions as to location of its load and the size ofthe horse.

In Fig. 4 the lower ends of shackle-bars G are shown provided withcross-pins 9. These serve as safetystops for side bars, B, in case thebolts 0 should break or become detached. I provide the front ends of theplate springs K with slots, Fig. 3, to facilitate such adjustment. Therear ends of said springs are bolted to the under side of the body, andtheir upwardly and rearwardly curved front ends rest on rocking sleeves,and are clamped thereto by screws h, that pass through the said slots.Said sleeves rotate on a rod passing through pendent bifurcated ends ofa rod, M, which is arranged horizontally in front of the body A, andattached to the shafts I by means of eyebolts i, in which it is free torock or turn on its axisthat is to say, it rocks correspondingly to therod a, thus allowing an easy to and-fro or longitudinal swinging motionof the body A. I term this bar an equalizer. The springs relieve thebody from the vertical motion ordinarily incident to motion of thehorse.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a road-cart, the combination, with the springs E,body A, transverse rod (1, and arms I), of the body-supporting sidebars, B, arranged above the springs and having lengthwise slots (1, andthe shackles provided with pivots e, that project through said slots, asshown and described.

2. In a road-cart, the body-supporting side bars provided withlengthwise slots and made adjustable at their front ends, in combinationwith pivotal supports attached to the axle, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a road-cart, the combination, with the body-springs and shafts, ofthe lengthwise adjustable side bars made Vertically adjustable at theirfront ends, as shown and described.

4. In a road-cart, the combination, with the body A and rocking rod M,having pendent arms, of the journals L, applied to the latter, the sidesprings, K, having lengthwise slots, and the clamp-screws h, allarranged. as shown and described.

5. In a road-cart, the combination of the plate-springs, slotted asspecified, with a rocking support, the body A, and side bars slotted, asspecified, to permitadjnstment of the body, as set forth.-

6. In a road-cart, the combination of the side bars having slots intheir front ends, and the shackles G, having the safety-stops, as shownand described.

FRANK BEOHT.

WVitnesses:

GEORGE BROWN, ELMER HUMBERSTONE.

